Impact of Yoga and Naturopathy in the Management of Intervertebral Disc Bulge: A Case Series

Abstract Intervertebral disc bulge (IVDB) is defined as the presence of disc tissue that is, circumferentially 50%–100% beyond the edges of the ring apophyses. The prevalence of IVDB rises from 30% for 20 years of age to 84% for 80 years of age. Literature suggests that complementary and alternative medicine such as massage, acupuncture, electrotherapy, and spinal manipulation are effective in the management of chronic low back pain. In this study, we present four cases (four males) of IVDB in detail. As patients were nonresponsive to allopathy medications, they visited our hospital and underwent 15 days of yoga and naturopathy (YN) intervention. The results of the study showed a better reduction in scores on the Visual Analog Scale, Oswestry Disability Index, Perceived Stress Scale, and Toe Touch Test and improvement in the functional ability, muscle power, and quality of sleep (QoS) in the posttest assessments compared with the pretest assessments. Thus, YN interventions might help to reduce pain, disability, and stress and improve functional ability, muscle power, flexibility, and QoS in patients with IVDB. However, the validity and reliability of this study may differ as this is a case series. Therefore, randomized controlled trials with a larger sample size are recommended to warrant the results of this study.